Reviews

In an East Allentown building that has had a revolving door of restaurants and hookah lounges, a Latin American restaurant set down roots in August 2016 and is still going strong. Mar & Tierra, Spanish for “sea and land,” is dishing out fantastic authentic cuisine. The restaurant is owned by cousins...

While heading to the Riegelsville Inn to do a review last year I noticed a coffee shop nearby and, being a coffee lover, vowed to return. On another visit I stopped in and was delighted to find it offered a full food menu. Jeff Porter and Anthony Kirkman own Someday Cafe, a coffee shop and roastery...

After a lengthy renovation, Sibri’s opened this year on Broad Street in north Bethlehem featuring a variety of international and American cuisine. Owned by siblings Zonia, Wilson and Mario Sibri, the restaurant features long hours on the weekdays and 24-hour weekend operation. A note on the door...

The building at 410 W. Emmaus Ave. in Allentown was a pizza shop for a long time, most recently as Sophia’s Pizzeria. Now it’s El Tipico, a Dominican restaurant opened about four months ago by Juan Almonte, who cooked in the Dominican Republic and in restaurants across Allentown. El Tipico’s menu...

In early October, Golazo House took over the south Bethlehem location that once was the widely adored Horns It was followed by the Publick House, a restaurant that never seemed to take off. Golazo House, the name referring to the enthusiastically screamed word denoting an excellent soccer goal,...

In December, Hot Plate Soul Kitchen started serving food with a Southern flair. It is part of an ongoing restaurant renaissance on Bethlehem’s South Side, joining the likes of Golazo House, Roasted and the recently announced second location of Grille 3501. Occupying the space of the on-again-off-again...

Alfie’s Kitchen in Forks Township is part of a restaurant renaissance, joining Sam’s Bagels & Deli and Red White & Que Smokehouse at the Park Plaza shopping center. Open since mid-August, Alfie’s is named after owner Al Crivellaro, who runs the restaurant with his daughter. Tucked comfortably in...

Emeril’s Chop House debuted to much fanfare in 2009 at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, and with nearly nine years under its belt, management decided it was time for a refresh. After closing for nearly two months, the signature restaurant is back with a new look and a new menu. General manager Jason...

After the much-beloved Blue Sky Cafe ended a 10-year run in late June, many were anxious to see a replacement for their favorite breakfast and brunch spot. And so came Roasted, a new venture run by some of the employees of Blue Sky. Headed by husband and wife Shelli and Chris Topping, with co-owner...

Vivo Italian Kitchen opened in late October, taking over a South Whitehall Township spot that had been vacant since Chianti closed in 2015. The restaurant is the newest offering from the Grisafi family, which oversees several popular restaurants in the Lehigh Valley. Paolo Grisafi operates Vivo...

New restaurants seemed to open at a deliciously dizzying pace in the Lehigh Valley in 2017, from high-end steakhouses to tiny spots dishing up fantastic specialties. We visited most of the new ones as well as revisited many veterans of the Lehigh Valley restaurant scene that continue to thrive....

Black & Blue, a third of Easton’s so-called “Beermuda Triangle,” a restaurant/pub trio that includes Porters’ Pub and Two Rivers Brewing Co., began last year with a fizzle. After operating since 2011 in a cozy tavern setting behind Northampton County’s courthouse, a co-owner posted that the restaurant...

In September, Kellogg’s Unicorn Froot Loops debuted on shelves in the U.K. Now the pastel product is making its way across the pond to stores in the U.S. The American version will consist of red, blue and purple loops with white “crunchlets” and a “magic cupcake” flavor, as opposed to the yellow,...

The long-awaited Flying Egg debuted in mid-November on Main Street in downtown Bethlehem and has been dishing out breakfast and lunch to crowds ever since. The restaurant is owned by the team behind Cachette Bistro & Creperie, Tapas on Main and the forthcoming Urbano, all Main Street neighbors,...

Just what is an “Aussie cafe?” Tucker Silk Mill, which bills itself as such an establishment, serves eats and drinks with an Australian twist in a formerly underused and quickly redeveloping location. Housed in the former Simon Silk Mill in Easton, it joins a new brewery, Boser Geist, and coming...

After a relatively short life for George’s Light Lunch, the Greek Meat Guy has taken over the space on Bethlehem’s South Side, joining a host of new spots in the area including Playa Bowls, Golazo House, Roasted and Hot Plate Soul Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by Nikos Malitsis, a veteran chef...

Hardball Cider has been producing delicious hard ciders since 2015, and now it has a home to call its own. Its Main Street Bethlehem location in the former Molto Pazzo spot opened in late August and boasts not only a tasting room for its beverages, but also a full service kitchen. The restaurant...

Tucked into a residential neighborhood, Cafe Frais is a new addition to the dining scene in the Muhlenberg College area in Allentown’s West End. Owned by a trio of partners, two of whom also run the Tre Locally Sourced food truck, the newly renovated cafe, which took over the former Campus Luncheonette,...

While there have been many chain restaurants capitalizing on healthy eating trends, such as last week’s reviewed restaurant Playa Bowls and Lower Macungie’s Core Life, independent vegetarian and vegan restaurants have been few and far between. That changed for Quakertown in September, when Clean...

Playa Bowls is a New Jersey chain focused on healthy foods, and it recently entered the Lehigh Valley scene with a spot nestled on Bethlehem’s South Side. It’s just steps away from the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts and a short jaunt away from Lehigh University. The chain is rapidly...

Rice ’N Beans, a local Latin fusion chain, has been expanding its reach since opening its first restaurant in downtown Nazareth in 2013 and another one on Jacksonville Road in Bethlehem in 2014. Its latest endeavor, which took over the former Borinquen Puerto Rican restaurant in south Bethlehem...

The Karlton Cafe, tucked unassumingly into downtown Quakertown, appears like the kind of place serving only coffee and breakfast. The restaurant does serve coffee and breakfast, but also has a great menu for lunch and dinner. The Karlton Cafe has been open for more than 10 years, but has gone through...

Sam and Gina Masotto introduced Bonn Place Brewing to LV beer fans on Bethlehem’s south side last summer. Last week, Bonn’s base may have grown just a bit after winning two medals at The Great American Beer Festival in Denver: A bronze in the English-Style Mild Ale category for “Nemo” and a silver...

You’d be excused for thinking Red White & Que Smokehouse isn’t a chain restaurant, because it doesn’t have the usual trappings of one. The restaurant, tucked into the back of the Park Plaza at Sullivan Trail, isn’t the most likely spot for a solid barbecue emporium, but fits the bill nonetheless....

Miller’s Ale House, a chain restaurant that first opened in 1988 in Florida and now is 88-strong, staked out its first Lehigh Valley location in early September and has been busy pouring pints and slinging wings ever since. The space in the Airport Plaza shopping center, which formerly housed the...